


Ice Cream

by mikeymagee



Category: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015), Justice League: War
Genre: Family, Father Figures, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, blackinfanfiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-19
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2018-06-03 04:46:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6597310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikeymagee/pseuds/mikeymagee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Victor Stone remembers what it means to be human, something his father seems to have forgotten. Perhaps, just this once, the two can find a way to be human together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ice Cream

**Author's Note:**

> Written for dana-in-wonderland

The one thing Victor remembered the most about his old humanity, was the taste of ice cream. When you’re a kid, it seems as if frozen milk, sugar, and vanilla extract are the cure to any ailment. A sore throat, a ruined baseball game, or most of your body being crushed and replaced with fragments of metal. It seemed like ice cream was the solution to everything. But now, as he dawned the name Cyborg, and watched as his father tinkered with his own son’s body, Vic wasn’t so sure ice cream could fix everything.

“Just a few more enhancements, and we’ll take another turn at that computer programs,” Dr. Stone said. Since sun up, Dr. Stone had been scanning every inch of Vic’s cybernetic body to see if there had been any changes or alterations. Any evolution in the programming, or ghosts in the system. The laboratory was like the circuitry of a microchip, people weaving in and out of corners and doors, hoping to get a glimpse of the master craftsmen and his latest project. Except, this project was his own son. Ever since Vic’s accident, it seemed like his father was more interested in Vic’s cybernetics than he was in him. Each conversation started with, “We should begin work on…” and ended with “…tomorrow we’ll begin the installations with…”

Had Victor really become such a project that his father couldn’t even recognize his own son’s humanity? But who exactly could blame him, when Victor looked into the bathroom mirror, instead of the warm cheeks he used to fill with strawberries, he saw cold steel that shined in the light like a fresh computer screen.

“Vic,” Dr. Stone said, “Run some of these numbers through your processor. I want a second opinion.”

Of course, Victor just knew that was his father’s way of trying to include his son on…whatever the hell it was they were doing. His father wasn’t one to ask for second opinions, not even from cybernetically enhanced super beings such as Cyborg. Regardless, Victor ran his processor through, the data checked out, the improvements would stabilize, and his canon fire would increase 30%...whoopee. It was so strange, when Victor was…well, Victor, his father could never make any time for him. But now that his body was burned, scarred, and replaced with parts you couldn’t even get on an IPhone, it seemed like his father had nothing but time. Dr. Stone was always one for a science experiment, but hardly ever one for human interaction. Even when the two did spend time together, there was a lack of humanity that kept Victor cold…perhaps he and his father had more in common than either of them wanted to admit.

It was never like this when his mother was around. She too was a scientist, but she never allowed it to overshadow her family. Even when the world felt like it was trying to make you fail, there was always his mother, with a warm smile, and a chilled bowl of ice cream to make it seem like it would get better.

“And we’re done,” Dr. Stone said as he typed the last of the data. All that was left was for the computer to run its final computations and they could begin the next phase. Normally during this phase, Victor would skulk off to his room, try to catch up on Football scores, or text Shazam, and his father would stay locked in his lab, monitoring any fluctuating data. Each trapped in a world without basic human interaction. No jokes to be had. No memories to be shared. No stories swapped over a chilled bowl of ice cream.

“Dad?” Victor asked. When Vic spoke, he could always hear a slight autotune from his voice, a small buzz that made his words sound too perfect. It always scared him.

“What is it son?”

Victor shrugged, “When we’re done…do you think we could…” Victor tried to sound nonchalant, like he was simply making a suggestion, and not asking for a favor, “…hang out. Or whatever?”

It had been so long since either of them had felt the sunlight on their skin, or breathed the air outside Star Labs, or shoved a spoon full of ice cream into their mouths. Small moments that only a human could treasure. What had happened to the two of them?

“What do you mean?” Dr. Stone asked.

“Just…” Victor twiddled his thumbs, “…like sitting on the porch…” and wrapped his fingers around one another, “…and having some ice cream.” He had faced Darkside, and Lex Luthor, stopped the end of the world countless times, but in the presence of his father, he still felt like that little boy who was still trying to prove something. “Ya’know…just us.”

"Ice cream?" Silas said, "I-I don't know? I've got a lot of work to do around here." He hunched over, his body slumped  against his chair, and his face wrinkled. Victor knew that look, it was the same expression he wore whenever he had tried to prove his own humanity to himself. Memories of old songs, and warm mosquito bites replaced with bytes of data, and numbers that haunted his dreams. A burden that Victor wouldn't wish on anyone...especially not his father.

"Never mind," Vic said, "We're both too bust for something like that." Victor stumbled to his feet, what exactly was he thinking? The League could call at any second, or maybe there was an emergency that needed stopping. And his father was always busy with his work. There just wasn't any time.

Silas Stone tapped the rim of his glasses, and then slowly removed them.  His eyes a sweet brown, catching the light from every computer screen, and holding it close.

"There's just one problem,” Silas said as he smile crept onto his face, “We’ve only got Rocky Road here at STAR Labs…but I can deal with it if you can.”

Victor stopped, "R-really?" his voice almost catching in his throat. _Did he really mean it?_

Silas walked to his son, and gently clapped his hand against Vic's shoulder, "You get the bowls, and I'll get the ice cream?"

Victor nodded. “Yeah. That sounds perfect.”


End file.
